


sunshine blinds you if you stare

by chaosmere



Category: Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-27
Updated: 2019-08-27
Packaged: 2020-09-27 21:10:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20414362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaosmere/pseuds/chaosmere
Summary: Joohyun finds herself third wheeling in her friends' trip to Bora Bora and she's glad she did.





	sunshine blinds you if you stare

If third-wheeling in her friend and friend’s girlfriend’s vacation means finally getting her the peace and stress-free life she deserves from all the weeks of studying for finals, Joohyun probably wouldn’t have any qualms doing this again.

Swinging her small suitcase in her hand, the girl scans the numbered seats, hunting for seat number 205.

201, 202, 203, 204… 205. She releases a small grunt as she lifts her suitcase into the compartment above the two-chair row. Aw, bummer, she doesn’t have the window seat.

“We’re sitting right in front of you,” Seulgi wiggles her eyebrows with a wide grin and makes her way past Joohyun, with her taller girlfriend tagging just behind, holding both of their bags. As soon as Sooyoung was done putting their luggage away, she plops down into the seat beside her girlfriend and begins fiddling with the airflight pamphlets. Joohyun smiles as she watches Seulgi straightaway entangle herself around Sooyoung’s arm while the latter reflexively places her head on the older’s shoulder. It astounds Joohyun as to how they fit each other like puzzle pieces, like their souls have known each other since forever despite the fact that they’ve only met a year ago when Joohyun successfully set them up.

Perhaps they truly owe Joohyun to tag along their vacation. Still, she feels a little bit discomfited to take part in what clearly is a couple getaway.

“Sooyoung, thanks for letting me go with you. I mean, it’s not that I really, really wanted to but Seulgi insisted-“

Sooyoung almost immediately cuts her off by waving a hand in the air, “It’s fine, _unnie_, I need an extra babysitter to make sure this one stays put anyway.” She playfully points at the girl beside her with her thumb to which Seulgi mischievously bites causing Sooyoung to grimace at her. Joohyun could only laugh at the couple’s antics, impeding herself from visibly fawning over them because that would be weird.

Instead, she averts her eyes to the still empty window seat and allows her mind to drift off for awhile as a thrum of different voices blends with the muted airplane’s grumble. She thinks of how her mother wouldn’t let her leave unless she writes up a full itinerary, basically a complete script of what she plans to do in Bora Bora and how her younger sister told her to loosen up (which is quite hypocritical of her, if Joohyun were to be honest; Yeri’s academic performance is a force to be reckoned with).

“You can have it.”

Jerked from her thoughts, Joohyun’s gaze shifts towards the voice’s source. Her seat buddy has finally arrived. A brown haired girl, appearing to be… younger, perhaps Seulgi’s age (?), squeezes past through her and collapses into the aisle seat which was originally Joohyun’s seat, a contented sigh torn from her lips as the girl tip her head back.

“Well, aren’t you gonna sit?” The girl asks and Joohyun blinks, prepared to offer an awkward, friendly smile but her companion seems intent on staring at the airplane’s ceiling, so she just carefully makes her way onto the seat beside hers.

_This is good_, she thinks. She gets to have the window seat plus her seat buddy isn’t some middle-aged creep. The fact that she’s very pretty is just a really generous bonus. So, why is she even a little bit bothered by the whole situation?

“Uh, how’d you know I wanted the window seat?”

Much to her annoyance though, the brunette merely laughs and tilts her head at Joohyun’s direction, plastering a little smirk.

“You’re welcome,” she says instead and Joohyun has to resist the urge to do something stupid as to strangle her (or kiss her). _God, she’s attractive._ She tries to bury the latter thought into somewhere her mind won’t be able to reach but it’s proven to be a hard task when the girl’s lips twitches into that of a friendlier smile. 

“Seungwan, in case you want the name of your, I don’t know - dare I say, best flight buddy you’re ever gonna have.”

Joohyun realises she’s been staring for way too long when Seungwan cocks an eyebrow at her and flaunts another signature smirk.

So she huffs and pretends she didn’t just get lost into her ebony orbs nor entranced from her kilowatt smile. “Joohyun, in case you want the name of the person who hates your cocky ass.”

It might have come off snarky for someone she just met and let her have the window seat, but she decides it was worth it when Seungwan’s jaw slightly drops.

“Nice to meet you, too, Joohyun,” the girl hums and closes her eyes, a small smile present in her face.

Joohyun could’ve argued and told her she’s only further proving her cocky impression but she didn’t. 

She didn’t, so she rests her head against the window, watching the ground sink, before she screws her eyelids shut.

Because despite the circumstances and most disconcertingly of all, Joohyun feels it was nice to meet her as well.

#

The bed is cold and squishy and the room is chilly with air conditioner air, as opposed to the sun-bleached sand and searing heat outside. Joohyun sinks into the bed, pulling the duvet blanket over her head. She’d successfully gotten through then 5-hour flight without having to engage in a battle of wits with her seat buddy; she’d maintain a casual conversation with Seungwan for half an hour or so before they got too engrossed in overpriced croissants and coffee. Over small seat tables and stale airplane food, Joohyun learns that Seungwan is indeed younger than her by three years, which confirms her hunch that she’s Seulgi’s age.

Joohyun also learns that, like her, Seungwan is running away — except that, while Joohyun is momentarily running away from her problems, Seungwan is permanently running away from home.

“Let’s just say I’m finding myself for awhile.”

She learns that what Seungwan wants most in the world is a place to belong.

The plane soon landed in Bora Bora’s tiny airport situated on a narrow strip of island, directly adjacent to the water. The moment the plane landed and much to her dismay, Seungwan hurriedly descended the stairs out of the plane and waved goodbye to Joohyun on the tarmac. The latter tried to mask off her disappointment and dejection from the possibility of not seeing the girl again by flashing her a small smile and a single wave of the hand.

Not long after, Joohyun, along with Seulgi and Sooyoung, were greeted by the blaring sunlight and intense humidity, and some locals near the docks who enthusiastically placed multi-coloured leis around their neck.

Despite the excitement to be away from home, the stress, and the incessant feeling that she was missing something, Joohyun was exhausted.

So here she is, sprawled unceremoniously on her hotel bed thinking about a girl she met on a plane rather than enjoying the promise of blue water and eternal sunshine Bora Bora have to offer.

That is, until, there’s a knock at the door.

Joohyun grits her teeth. She’s ready to throw her fists at the moron who seemingly doesn’t understand the words “Do Not Disturb”. But surprisingly, the voice at the door is not the scratchy, clipped tone of a hotel worker. This voice, or these voices, rather, are loud and familiar.

“Hey Seul, maybe we should just let _unnie_ rest for awhile. Maybe she’s tired from the long flight?”

“No, she’s just lazing around, trust me, babe.”

“Are you sure, because…”

“Baechu, don’t be a summer grinch and open the door for us, please.”

Upon hearing the childhood nickname, Joohyun clamps her pillow over her head, muffling a groan.

Outside, the voices continue to babble, overpowered by Seulgi’s volume.

Begrudgingly, Joohyun rolls off her the bed and trudges over to open the door. The voices stop and two pairs of amber eyes widen up at her, one with hesitation and one with glee.

“About time, Joohyun _unnie_,” her same-aged friend gushes while Sooyoung merely shrugs, with eyes that seem apologetic.

“I’m so tired,” she grunts but she steps back to usher her friends into the room nonetheless, every cutting response she had planned dying in her throat.

As soon as they enter, they plop down on the bed and repetitively bounce their butts against the soft foam as they please. _What a bizarre duo_, Joohyun thinks.

After closing the door, she immediately crawls back onto the bed, lying face down. She just wants her peace and quiet. Also, the duvet covers smell really, really nice — almost like Seungwan.

She groans for the nth time. Why can’t she stop thinking about her?

Thankfully, she gets out from her reverie when Seulgi shakes her legs violently.

“_Unnie_, there’s a party by the beach tonight!”

Her voice sounds so enthusiastic that Joohyun can perfectly picture that signature toothy smile in her mind. Her resolution to just stay in the hotel, in the comforts of her air-conditioned room, slightly falters just by imagining Seulgi’s swoon-worthy smile. Great.

Of course, that was just strike one from the evil, irresistible duo.

“There’s alcohol,” Sooyoung adds.

_Uh oh. _She lifts her head at the older woman’s direction. “Will there be daiquiri?”

“And the best martinis in the world.”

While the two of them are having sparkly eyes over their discussion about cocktails, Seulgi shakes her head and pretends to vomit.

“Ugh, why do I associate myself with alcoholics,” Seulgi mutters and the two of them could only laugh.

Joohyun is sitting properly now, eyes no longer dead. She is this close to giving in.

“So, is there anything else you could pitch me?”

Seulgi and Sooyoung look at each other knowingly before the former claps her hand.

“There will be lots of cute girls.”

And she’s sold.

#

So here she is — downing her fourth glass of martini for the night. From her seat in the bar set up on the beach, she scans her surroundings, from sweaty bodies dancing on the sand and couples making out by the shore. She attempts to find Sooyoung and Seulgi amongst the crowd but she thinks they’re probably already back in their hotel room doing God knows what.

It’s better for Joohyun to be alone anyway. She’s always been a solitary bubble even though people might think she’s a social butterfly on the outside. Although, she does maintain a small circle of friends. Haseul, her best friend whom she also considers as a second mom; Yeojin, Haseul’s little sister who also became her annoying but precious little sister; Seulgi, her roommate; and finally, Sooyoung, Seulgi’s girlfriend.

In short, Joohyun is absolutely fine being alone in this swarm of strangers. Just her and her pina colada.

She was about to take a sip from her fifth glass when she feels a hand on her shoulder.

Oh, Seulgi’s still here?

“Seulgi, I thought —“

_Oh._

She stops mid sentence when she found out that the hand didn’t belong to Seulgi, but to a familiar brunette she was trying to get out of her mind earlier. Her breath hitches when the girl snakes her arm around her waist and takes a seat beside her.

“Expecting someone else?”

_Anyone else but you_, is what she wants to say but the only word that came out of her mouth was “Seungwan” because _oh God, she’s really hot_. She’s wearing a blue tank top paired with denim shorts that hugs her curves beautifully.

The other girl retracts her hand to take a sip from her martini and Joohyun inwardly scolds herself for getting upset over the loss of contact.

“You still remember my name!” Seungwan exclaimed. She seems so genuinely happy that Joohyun can’t help but smile as well… only a little, because she doesn’t want to appear sappy.

“Yeah, well, you’re hard to forget.”

Perhaps it was the alcohol that gave her the boost of confidence or maybe just the mere sight of Seungwan again — whatever it was, she said what was on her mind without filter and she meant it.

However, the embarrassment immediately followed right after when Seungwan props her head with her hand, looking at her with an intense gaze.

She suddenly feels dizzy and it’s almost impossible to tell if it was because of the alcohol kicking in or the way Seungwan was staring at her.

As if she’s trying to gauge whether Joohyun is telling the truth.

At the sight of Joohyun practically squirming a little from her seat, she laughs. And Joohyun swears it was a sound that’s going to be on loop in her mind for a couple of days.

“So, who’s Seulgi?”

Her response is almost automatic. “She’s my roommate and well, I’m just tagging along with her and her girlfriend’s vacation but I mean, I _did_ set them up so I have a right to, and — hey, why’d you ask?”

The other girl chuckles, seemingly fascinated by her stream of consciousness. Joohyun notices the glint of amusement in her eyes.

“Nothing, just making conversation.” 

If it’s conversation Seungwan wants, Joohyun undeniably struggles because she’s pretty much at a loss of words, with the girl she’s infatuated in such close proximity. Her palms are sweaty and she feels her stomach knotting as Seungwan holds her gaze.

Joohyun feels that the alcohol was finally setting in and it was the back-to-back cocktail shots that makes her say, “Hey, do you want to dance?”

If Seungwan were at all surprised by the sudden turn of events, she hides it well with her signature smirk. “Damn, here I thought I’d have to drag you there,” she replies as she reaches for Joohyun’s hand and pulls her up off the stool. Joohyun feels her face flush, but whether it’s the liquor or touching Seungwan, she isn’t really quite sure anymore.

She allows herself to be pulled towards the dance floor and Joohyun tries hard not to think of the warm feeling she gets from the girl’s hand in hers, as she is seamlessly guided to a less-crowded area. She can’t help but stumble on the way, the alcohol kicking in full force, but Seungwan’s sure and steady grip keeps her from face planting into the sand.

“Careful, wouldn’t want you falling.”

Joohyun tries not to think of any other implications from that statement. She feels her face heating up, anyway, so she huffs and steadies herself.

“Shut up, are we gonna dance or not?”

Seungwan chuckles, as if she finds amusement in coaxing this kind of response from her.

“Very eager, I see,” she teases.

Before Joohyun can retort, the bass-fueled electronic music is replaced by a new song, this time, much slower and sensual than the previous tracks of the night. She mentally curses the universe for setting her up.

She catches Seungwan smile and guides the hand she’s been holding to her hip, stepping into her personal space. Joohyun’s breath catches in her throat, her lungs suddenly malfunctioning at this close, very close, proximity. Hesitantly, she mimics the girl and places her hand to Seungwan’s hip as well. She’s hoping Seungwan couldn’t see visibly see her gulp.

“You know, for someone who invited me to dance, you’re pretty tense,” Seungwan chuckles.

Joohyun’s brows instinctively crossed but she doesn’t say anything because it’s true. Everything about Seungwan just sends blaring red alarms althroughout her system. So she averts her gaze, trying to look at anywhere other than the girl in front of her. She opts looking at the sky. She loves the sky. And she realizes she was too caught up staring at the galaxy in the stranger’s eyes, she hadn’t notice the beauty of the stars shining bright in the unpolluted dome above.

It’s when Seungwan props her chin to her shoulder that she feels her heart practically jump, mind suddenly blank.

“Just sway with me, hm?” The girl’s voice is low and husky in Joohyun’s ear. She shudders.

Joohyun’s suddenly hyperaware of her movement, of everything really; the way they are pressed against each other, how Seungwan guides her languidly, how Seungwan smells like sunshine and summer, Seungwan. She’s intoxicated, and now she’s not sure if it’s because of the alcohol pulsating through her veins.

She feels herself letting go.

“Seungwan?”

She whispers, part of her wishing the other girl wouldn’t hear. Seungwan does anyway.

“Mm?”

Letting go.

“You smell really nice.” _Like sunshine_.

Seungwan pulls away from her but her hands remains on her hips. The girl doesn’t show any expression for a moment, but her mouth gradually twitches to a full genuine smile, her eyes twinkling much brighter than the stars above.

Joohyun ignores the incessant chanting of “kiss her” in her brain.

She expects a teasing comment, but what the girl said afterwards rendered her speechless.

“You’re beautiful.”

It’s getting harder to anchor herself to rationality, not when Seungwan has an entire galaxy in her eyes. That galaxy staring at her. Not when she’s looking at her like that.

_Kiss her_.

She finds herself leaning in, noticing the way how the other’s head is seemingly meeting her halfway, like there’s a force of gravity pulling them in. The distinct smell is slowly filling up her lungs, replacing the oxygen in her body. She feels drunker than she is before.

It’s when their noses were already touching, feeling the ghost of soft lips, when she hears her name being called by a familiar voice.

“_Unnie,_ there you are!”

She instantly jerks away, noticing how Seungwan gradually flutters her eyes open. Joohyun spins around to see Seulgi, making her way towards her with a worried look. She tries hard not to glare at her and acknowledges her with a little wave of the hand.

Joohyun looks back at Seungwan, who is just smiling at her.

“It was nice, um,” Seungwan stutters and it makes Joohyun wanna tease her because this is the first time she hears the girl loses her confidence, “dancing with you, Joohyun. I’ll leave you now to your friend, okay?”

Truthfully, she’s a little disappointed, but she thinks it’s for the best at the moment so she nods.

“Take care,” the brunette says, stroking her cheek gently with the back of her hand, and before Joohyun can say something, Seungwan already slips away into the crowd.

“We were looking all over for you, _unnie_! I swear, you’re so tiny, it’s hard to look for you in a swarm of people. Anyway, Sooyoung is waiting for…”

Seulgi’s words are drowned in her ears and she can only think about Seungwan, the warmth of the lingering touch on her face, the feeling of the slightest contact of soft lips, her scent. She can’t wait to see her again.

**Author's Note:**

> hi, this is going to be a chaptered fic! and no angst, I promise, hahha, unless?


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